Nelen named Class C Player of Year

Cooperstown’s Miles Nelen has been named the Player of the Year for Class C boys basketball by the New York State Sportswriters Association.

The organization released its All-State Awards for classes B, C and D on Wednesday, April 22, with Nelen leading the local award winners.

A senior point guard, Nelen led Cooperstown to a Class C state title and an undefeated season. The Hawkeyes went 27-0 in 2025-2026, a year after a section title and a 24-1 record. Nelen scored 720 points this season, just under 27 per game. In a three-year varsity career, he scored 1,440 points.

Cooperstown beat Berne-Knox-Westerlo in the state championship game, 52-43, on March 23 in Binghamton.

Nelen's teammates Jackson Crisman, Christian Lawson and Brody Murdock were also honored.

Crisman, a senior center/forward whose off-balance, buzzer-beating, three-point basket against Lyons on March 22 sent Cooperstown to the championship game, made the Class C Second Team.

Lawson, a senior guard who scored about half of his 1,000-plus varsity points at Milford, made the Class C Fourth Team. He spent his junior and senior years at Cooperstown, where he became the sixth man and backup point guard.

Murdock, a junior forward, received honorable mention.

Other Class C honorees were Delaware Academy’s Lucas Nealis and Teddy Kelsh and Deposit/Hancock’s Micah Simmons. Nealis was named Fourth Team. Simmons was named Sixth Team. Kelsh was named Ninth Team.

Also receiving honorable mention were Jayden Deleon, Afton/Harpursville, Xander Johnson, Unatego/Franklin and Ben Schnabel from Delaware Academy.

In Class D, Morris point guard Ryan Murphy was named First Team. Murphy’s Mustangs won a regular season title in the Tri-Valley League. Murphy became the leading scorer in Morris history mid-season, beating Rob Joy’s record of 1,251 varsity points.

Edmeston’s Braymon Clark and Carter Swayer from Morris were named to the Third Team. Allen Osborne from Schenevus was named to the Fourth Team. Pat Terk from Stamford/Jefferson was named to the Sixth Team.

Receiving honorable mention in Class D were Michael Cashman, Sharon Springs, Cody Ciaravino, Gilboa-Conesville/Roxbury, Cole Whitbeck, Charlotte Valley and Gavin Zinger, Edmeston.

In Class B, Tyler Reed from Walton/Downsville received honorable mention.

All-State honorees for Class A (Oneonta) and higher classes will be released Wednesday, April 29.